Author: Sandhya Jain
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: April 5, 2005
On 6 December 1992, when top BJP
leaders expressed panic over the collapsing Babri edifice, I was
one of the few to perceive that the Hindu movement was in deep trouble
because those riding to the pinnacle of public esteem for espousing
a centuries-old civilizational contest had no genuine desire to see
it to fruition. Most political analysts then failed to realize that
this de-legitimisation of the Hindu cause at a critical moment of
crystallization was a disastrous betrayal.
The immediate aftermath was the
defeat of the BJP in elections to three out of four states in which
its governments were dismissed (Rajasthan was retained by a hairsbreadth).
But the long-term effects were far more deleterious. As the BJP pulled
its wits together and went on to form the government at the Centre
some years later, it began to cynically believe that Hindu sentiment
was an exploitable commodity.
Six years in power took the party's
comfort levels to such heights that it ceased to relate to the Hindu
masses altogether, and even the shock defeat of May 2004 could not
shake it out of its somnolence. The moral failure to defend the Kanchi
Shankaracharya from State-sponsored harassment aimed at destroying
the sanctity and prestige of the Matham and Hindu Dharma Gurus is
the direct consequence of this derisive attitude towards Hindu society.
Far from recognizing the nature
of the threat to our civilizational moorings, the BJP joined the
bandwagon of those who (unmindful of the lessons of Partition) support
the political agenda of minorities and express anger when told there
is a legitimate political agenda of the Hindu community which constitutes
the nation's native and core population. In power, it ignored the
Kashmiri Pandits, cross-border terrorism that went to the extent
of an attack on Parliament, demographic invasions and ethnic cleansing
of Hindus in Bangladesh. Even less contentious issues such as a ban
on cow slaughter and the return of temples to the community were
treated with contempt.
But the worst sin, to my mind, is
that an influential clique in the party has internalized the hostile
evangelical critique of Hindu dharma and joined hands with a coterie
of super-rich, denationalized, secular-modern semi-believers, who
seek to distance themselves from the demands of traditional dharma
and its obligations towards caste, community, temples, mathams, gurus,
acharyas, et al. And to overcome the guilt of this shameful desertion,
this class expresses irritation at all aspects of Hindu ritual and
belief that do not conform to the standard practices of monotheistic
religions and ridicules the traditional upholders of dharma as out-of-date
peddlers of obscurantism.
Thus, the tragedy at Kanchi is rationalized
as something the Shankaracharya "brought upon himself" by getting
involved in matters of public concern. This vicious view is being
zealously propagated by self-proclaimed bhaktas in order to silence
the reproach of those who still want to pick up the gauntlet. They
fear appearing retrogressive by standing up for Hindu dharma and
Hindu sensibilities, and hence angrily deny the legitimacy of gurus
and swamis of traditional mathams, who are the acknowledged custodians
of dharma and dharmins (followers), as they embody the tradition
and give voice to its sanctity and power.
Unless countered, the anti-traditional
class may carry the day by default, as it is determined to create
a dangerous schism in Hindu dharma by carving out a niche within
which it can call the shots. Already one can discern the outlines
of a dharma of the privileged city-based elite of India, as opposed
to the dharma of Bharat with its traditional gods, gurus, rituals,
humble belief systems and mighty philosophical quests. This class
condemns the myriad living traditions making up the rich tapestry
of dharma as "superstition," and seeks an "authorized" version of
Hindu tradition that synchronizes with monotheistic faiths.
The creation of a dharma of the
city-based elite as distinct from the dharma of the village/forest,
the invention of a canon in place of a unified diversity, the imposition
of religious hierarchy where none exists, can rupture the unparalleled
unity and continuity of millennia. The danger is real because powerful
secular impulses inspire this alienation. The emerging ethos denies
respect to rural, folk, local and even regional sub-cultures, and
tries to encapsulate the Indic civilizational ocean in a goldfish
bowl.
Yet, there was a time when reputed
Indologists expressed awe at the fabulous unity and continuity of
Indic dharma, and marvelled at the clear linkages between rural and
urban culture. At the popular level where ordinary Hindus live, whether
in villages, forests, hills or mountains, dharma means a special
relationship with specific deities who play a tangible role in the
lives of the people. Recognized widely as Ishta Deva, Kula Deva,
Grama Devata, these gods live in the everyday lives of their sincere
believers, providing comfort, security, and succour in times of adversity.
These foundational gods of the Hindu tradition were carried to the
towns and cities through the ages, as witnessed in the worship of
holy trees and plants, sacred symbols like the earthen pot and trishul,
and unification with the major gods of the classical pantheon.
Yet it is the foundational gods
who link the people with the land and culture. Hence, it was only
natural that Swami Jayendra Saraswati made it a point to validate
these gods before his people. On 24 March 2005, fisher folk from
Devanampatti in Cuddalore district went to Kalavai to seek the Shankaracharya's
blessings before resuming fishing after the tsunami. Swamiji gave
them a month's food stocks as prasadam, and ensured that all had
a checkup at the Matham's Free Medical Centre before returning to
sea (HinduVoice.net).
Notwithstanding the horrible humiliation
of his person and the venerable Matham at the hands of a former actress,
the Shankaracharya performed his duties as spiritual preceptor with
effortless grace. He advised the devotees: "In every family, there is a
kula daivam and an ishta daivam they pray to. In the same way, by
praying to whatever deity is beloved to your mind, obtain well-being -
I bless you." A far cry from the "Worship My God or Else" Mafiosi-style
religiosity that is battering the land with the intensity of the night
tide.
This is India's true dharma: our
great dharma gurus, even when belonging to specific Sampradayas,
were genuinely non-denominational, non-sectarian in propagating the
fundamentals of the faith. This is why the people could anchor their
faith in them as living embodiments of a living dharma. This is why
the people intuitively trust them more than the so-called Revolutionary
Leaders, and flock to them for blessings and guidance before launching
any propitious activity. These simple earthy folk with their rock-solid
faith in God and Guru constitute the bedrock of Indian culture and
tradition.
The great philosophical heights
attained by Hindu spirituality spring from this simple matrix; not
apart from it, nor in opposition to it. That is why the Shankaracharya,
an expert on the Vedas and other shastras, has made it his duty to
ensure that the roots that nurture the Indic civilization do not
themselves wither for lack of nourishment. Gurus like the Shankaracharya
are both the root and the tree: our silence over attempts to chop
him down will cost the entire Hindu community dearly and send wrong
signals to hostile forces.
